Manchester City are revamping their academy - even after reaching a second successive FA Youth Cup final.

By 2021 Blues bosses want a squad half-filled with homegrown players, and - 18 months since the CFA opened - Kelechi Iheanacho is the only teenager to have started more than one first team game this season.

The club will operate with a new model for next season to try and counteract the problems with Under-21 football and avoid overexposing top young talent such as Brahim Diaz.

"What we are going to do next season is go very young in both age groups," said Under-18s coach Jason Wilcox.

"So next season we will have under-17s playing in an under-18s league and under-19s playing in the Under-21s league. And then after that we have to bridge [to the first team]."

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"It is an interesting concept. When you speak to people about Barcelona - Iniesta, Xavi – they never played up [a level]. Never.

"We've taken bits from the Barcelona model but it's not the Barcelona model being put into Man City. We are taking a bit of everything and putting our own stamp on it too - so it's now a case of what is Man City's model."

Progression to the first team will not be blocked, but City will require their youngsters to fully commit to the new model and value long-term benefits over any short-term frustrations.

"The problem is if you push too early, then all of a sudden you've got a lad who's been playing Under-18s from the age of 14 and by the time he's an Under-18s player, he's sick of Under-18s football and he's not ready to go out on loan," said Wilcox.

"It would be so easy for us to push, push, push, but then you get this blockage up here and there's a lack of hunger and motivation."

Xavi came through Barca's famous youth system

"So it is quite frustrating for some of our players. Some of our kids go away with England [in their age group teams] and for instance they find an under 16 player playing for a club’s under 21s.

"I’m not criticising another club’s model. But we’ve got to believe in our model and I think that’s what we have got.

"We’ve got belief in our model and we will get it right."

If this reads little like a preview for the Youth Cup final with Chelsea, that reflects the club's thinking.

They are in Friday's final and want to win it, so the cliche goes, but Wilcox did not waste a second when asked if he would trade a cup victory for three players on Pep Guardiola's bench come August.

The priority is transitions, not trophies.

Wilcox is hoping to lead City to success in the Youth Cup

And having seen the talent on show at the CFA, coach Wilcox is confident that City are at the beginning of a fruitful production line.

"You watch some of the younger age-groups and you’re blown away by the level of their understanding and technical ability. It’s exciting.